TarTale
by MadhouseFunhouse
Summary: Sometimes a story can be told by someone new, and moved around to fit their twisted mind and desires. Though as Chara will soon learn, sometimes humans can be twisted by those monsters that lurk underground. She will have to change the fate of those who inhabit it or die trying. Wish her luck, she'll need it.
1. Chapter 1

The air was cold and unforgiving on that mid-autumn evening. The leaves crackled and broke under her feet, sounding as though she were stepping on bones. The shattering noises were only interrupted by her thoughts, and by her own cloud of misery which had drowned out most of what was going on. She was in an inescapable bubble. The trees reached for her, threatening the sanctity of that bubble, but it was impenetrable; it only allowed the blood of words to run into it, and scratch at her feeble brain.

Her tired eyes looked up at the canopy of the fingers of each branch, the trees were on fire. The leaves so many different colors, yet their vibrant glow did nothing to calm her dying consciousness. Black and white, no color no emotion besides the pain that threatened to consume her.

She froze, a foreign noise waking her from her daze. She stood and listened for it again before finally her suspicions were rewarded with a low and monsterous growl. This sound forced a reaction not too alien to her, as she broke into a sprint to attempt at getting away from the entity that hd created it.

Earlier that day she was running from her fellow humans, now she ran from what she assumed was a wolf. Her legs screamed as her body moved faster than ever before. Her mind was too gone to concentrate and her vision went hazy. She knew she was aimless, and she knew she would be running. For how long, or from what, she hadn't a clue. But she ran nevertheless, and found herself suddenly falling. But this was no mere trip. No, she fell and fell, the wind the only thing attempting to catch her despite gravity's force.

A startled scream escaped her throat, and her hands reached for anything that might stop her sudden collapse into the Earth's crust. She was swallowed by darkness, consumed by a world not yet known to her. She fell.

Seconds felt like days, as though time had stopped all together yet was moving rapidly as she finally saw a soft golden glow at the bottom.

Then she came face to face with the glow. A loud splitting crack filled the darkness around her, followed by her own blood curdling screams of agony.

Echos of her suffering could be heard all around. Her mind too taken to care as she expressed the pain through her noises. She yelled and screamed until she couldn't anymore, the idea that no one was coming was all too familiar. She wasn't getting out of this one, not unless she willed the shattered glass that was her mind, together.

Slowly she made her arms work. She grasped the golden flowers below. The crimson stains from her blood seemed to disappear as though the buds had milked from her wounds, impregnating them with the very essence that kept her alive. She tried to crawl, this was despite the tremendous amount of pain that surged throughout the appendage. Although she found that she was going nowhere fast, as the vines of the flowers wrapped around her legs, filling her with even more agony. The prick of the thorns caused a copious amount of blood to seep from her wounds, which in turn fed the flower's insatiable hunger.

It was like they were alive, feeding upon her, biting her with their thorny teeth. They wished to tear her apart, and slowly she began to accept this fate. However, something happened. The grip loosened just enough for her to breathe. A voice filled her head, and made her heart pound against its cage, "You must be new to the Underground. Golly, you must be so confused. Someone ought to teach you how things work around here. If you wish to live, you have to do one thing."

Words, it had been so long since she heard anything but her own screaming. Now she heard another soul, one who sounded so relieving that she was willing to do anything to hear it again, "Please make it stop!" She cried.

The voice let out a small undignified laugh, "I will let you go, but you must do as I command." The voice shifted and changed, "Kill or be killed, command or follow!" It howled.

"Anything!" She whimpered, her eyes not finding which was speaking, only seeing darkness.

Another chuckle left the apparition, "Open your soul to me, tell me your name."

That was all, it wanted to know her name. Finally someone wanted to know her by her birth given address, "Chara!" She cried, "My name is Chara!"


	2. Chapter 2

She felt heavy, her arms weights and legs immobile. It felt surprisingly comfortable where she laid, and that was possibly the reason for her inability to move. Now Chara let her mind swarm, and she thought about what she could only process as a very terrible nightmare. Most parts were missing, but she remembered a flower, a golden flower, and immense pain. Though, for now; her entire being was numb, as though her body didn't exist beyond her consciousness.

Finally she willed herself to open her eyes. At first they were a bit blurry, but with a few blinks she finally was able to focus. It was a typical children's room. The paint on the walls appeared to be chipping however, and there was an incredible stench that filled the air. Her nose scrunched up as it hit her all at once, which in turn caused her to get a bit nauseated. Nevertheless, she suppressed her instincts and slowly sat up.  
A sharp needle-like sensation filled her leg. She peered down at the makeshift cast on the appendage, again it caused her mind to sail it's own blackened sea. What was true, she wasn't sure, yet she couldn't shake the feeling that the flowers had existed. She shook her head at her childish assumption, and called out for the person who had saved her from the tight spot she was in, "Hello? Is anyone home?" She called.  
She was beginning to think no one was home before a tall monster stepped inside. She squeaked and grabbed the closest thing to a weapon she had on her, sadly enough her makeshift weapon was nothing more than a dust covered pillow.  
The monster woman stepped back. Her sickly brown eyes filling with a mixture of what appeared to be curiosity and hunger, "You are an... interesting child..." She stated.  
Chara spoke shakily, "Don't come any closer!"  
"Why not?" She tilted her large head, her ears moving along with her, "Have I harmed you in any way? I allowed you into my home, I mean, someone has to take care of the flowers. You're just a lost bud, left to wilt and die. I cannot allow that, so instead stay here, and relax. I will take good care of you, I promise."  
Chara had an uneasy feeling, but with her obviously broken leg, she felt she had no choice but to trust the creature, "Alright, thank you." She sighed as she returned her pillow to its regular place.  
The woman spoke, "Great! Now I must ask, are you hungry by any chance?"  
After a long moment Chara nodded despite the fear that constricted her insides. The woman continued, "Good, I have a meat pie in the oven. Rest up, I'll be back to feed it to you in a little while." She turned to the door, but froze, "You are to not leave this room." She said in a much darker tone.  
Before Chara could reply she left, closing the door to the room, and by the sounds of a heavy thud, she locked it as well.  
Chara felt more like a caged animal than a guest, however, she decided that the monster had her best intentions in mind and wouldn't question her despite the fear of the woman.  
Slowly Chara sunk into her pillow. The smell was luckily not as strong now that she was getting used to it. Nevertheless, she again felt amazingly heavy, and her eyes forced themselves closed.  
Chara delve into sleep like a deep sea diver into the ocean. Her mind, nevertheless, turned into a flurry of butterflies that swarmed and ate at her fragile mess of a brain. It was dark in her dreams, she felt a waterfall of cold drench her as she looked down at her melting body. She didn't feel afraid, quite aware it was all in her head, but something about the image was almost too realistic and she knew it would be different than her typical nightmares.  
The air was thick, and hard to breath as she melted like a candle. The flame just got enough to melt, yet not enough to burn her. The flame being those glowing red eyes that were upon her.  
She heard an unfamiliar voice speak to her, cutting through the thick air, "You can't go."  
Somehow this deep voice comforted her regardless of the pit that had formed in her heart. It was a comfort she had never known from the humans, a loving feeling that made her melt even faster. Her lips spoke for her, "I have to, I made a promise."  
"But what about your promise to me?" The voice cried out.  
"I lied, just this once." She closed her eyes, "I lied…"  
The coldness spreaded across her body. Her mind now gone as she heard crying. Then there was silence.  
She was floating now. She wasn't with the warm presence. She was alone once more.  
This isolation felt like it lasted an eternity, and it ended very suddenly. Screams filled her, engulfed her, swallowed her whole.  
She sprung up in bed, breath heavy, her mind buzzed and yelled at her still after the scene had slowly faded away. She didn't remember much of it, yet Chara knew something important had happened. A voice she could barely remember, and the screams that still managed to echo throughout her thoughts.  
She willed herself to glance to the side. Her crimson eyes met with a piece of meat pie, which sat upon a cracked plate on her bedside stand. Slowly she reached for it, finding a note attached, and it read plainly, "I hope you do not turn your nose up to my pie, welcome home my child."  
Chara considered the note for only a short moment before returning to the rancid slice of home-made pie. It looked edible, yet the smell painted a different picture. Although her stomach did growl hungrily she found herself wanting to resist the temptation of such an item.  
After a long debate with herself, finally she used her pocket knife to cut a small piece. She held it to her mouth and held her breath.  
Then she took a bite.


	3. Chapter 3

Whispers filled the blackened room, yet Chara's mind was too muddled to understand a single piece of the jigsaw that laid before her. Her eyes finally opened, yet the room span, the rancid meat having done away with her thoughts. Over her stood the monster woman, watching her, examining her every breath.

It went quiet. But her voice broke it easily, light, yet booming in the silent room, "You look like her when you're writhing in pain." A crooked smile filled her face, and she laughed softly, "I guess I should apologize, I didn't know how old my meat was… I'll make more soon…" yet another short laugh left her.

Chara groaned and tried to sit up, but the combination of food poisoning and shattered bones prevented it. The woman seemed amused as she watched the struggling young adult. Her eyes spelled cruelty, the previous kindness gone. Yet her voice gained that false sense of security it held the previous evening, "Rest now child, I'll go cook something that will fix you right up."

She turned, her foot steps heavy as she stomped out of the room. Desperation filled Chara at that moment, and she knew now more than ever that she had to run. It took a long time, but eventually she was able to sit up. Her body shook, glass like pain filling her abdomen, yet she persisted.

Soon she was on her feet, to only realize that she had gotten even weaker than first imagined. She almost managed to lose balance, however, she remained on her feet, determined to live.

Weakly she reached the door, and shockingly she found it unlocked. The door creaked open loudly, like a scream; despite her best attempts to keep quiet. Her feet made the old floor boards squeak in agony, each step making her body tense up. She made her way opposite of the monster's humming. Down the long dark hall, and to a mirror.

Chara lingered here despite her urgency. Her crimson eyes fell upon her emaciated form. She never looked so deathly thin. Blood stained her clothes, and her shirt was barely there enough to cover her bra. It was definitely her, yet already changed by this Hell. She made a feeble attempt to brush her fingers through her long unmanaged hair, finding no difference afterwards.

She began to question herself, wondering if maybe this was all in her head. But then a very real noise roused her from her thoughts. The hums had long stopped, and they had been replaced with quick footsteps that were heading in her direction. Chara hurried to the closest room as fast as her body was able, not wanting to he caught now. She closed the door as quiet as possible, and grabbed the large rusted latch. With great effort she finally moved it to a locked position right at the nick of time. As it was moved into place the door began to be rammed with tremendous force. A deep growl escaped the monster from the other side, "What on Earth are you doing in there my child? Come out and we can forget this ever happened! Mommy forgives you!" She laughed maniacally.

She backed away, eyes wide in fear. The door would surely collapse with such a stress on the old boards. She was running out of time.

She found herself scrambling around, looking for anyway out. Like an animal trapped in a cage she began to dig at the walls until her fingernails bled. She was getting nowhere fast, and she began to give up. Feebly she began to look for a place to hide, but then as she looked beneath the bed, she found something even better. New strength filled her body as she moved to pull at the heavy frame. Adrenaline allowed her to move the only obstacle. Now, in full view, the trap door filled Chara with unwavering hope.

She tugged at the frayed rope that was a makeshift handle. With a large amount of effort she was able to pry open the large rusted metal door. Below was pitch black, but it didn't stop her. She got onto the old ladder, and began to descend carefully but quickly. The rust tore her hands raw, nevertheless, she persisted. Soon the darkness again swallowed her whole.

Her feet ran out of ladder, and the first one to reach the floor was soaked all the way to her ankles. She shivered to the cold feeling, and then she allowed her other foot to sink into the freezing muck that covered the floor. Only now did the horrible smell hit her, and she gagged audibly.

She had to take a short moment to keep everything down before she turned and messily made her way through the room. Her hand stayed on the moist wall, the mud-like liquid splashed onto her legs.

Chara could still hear the monster above, and she knew she didn't have time to think. She quickly made her way, having to take a left turn down what she presumed to be a corridor.

Then finally her fingers graced something that she could only describe as her savior. The round handle caressed her broken flesh, and when she tugged the doors shifted loudly and the sunlight shone through the cracks in the vines beyond.

The blinding light made a smile finally grow upon her face, which only fell as a result of the upstairs door collapsing. The deranged monster's voice roared throughout the corridors, and Chara finally looked back at the place she had traveled through.

Her eyes widened, and she saw what she had stepped in all this time. Blood coated the floors, forming a shallow puddle. The shadows previously unknown to her were bodies, human bodies, all hanging from hooks to dry. This could've been her, and now that she thought, and her mind feebly fought it's own diseased instincts, her meat pie joined the blood, all over the floor.

She never vomited so violently, but when it was over she knew there was one last thing she needed to do. She regained her footing and quickly turned and began to rip at the vines.

The blood began to ripple as the goat woman ran towards Chara. Ripping at the vines, Chara began to sob. She was shaking so bad, feeling her window close and hard. She cried loudly, "Please! Just let me out!"

Then something happened, and the vines shifted and began to receed from the exit. The way cleared and she ran through, not having time for disbelief. She stumbled into the snow, falling into the white ground. She turned to slam the door, eye to eye with the monster. She grabbed the handles once she stood, and quickly she pulled hard to slam them. But a large hand came forth and grabbed what was left of her sweater, pulling her into the mostly closed door. She hit the rock hard enterance, and cried as her head banged against it, "Let me go!"

"I will open this door, and then we will have you for dinner! Just as a family should! Stop being a bad girl Frisk! Mommy still loves you!" The woman laughed as she tried to pull Chara through the small opening.

Luckily for Chara, she was much too big to fit in the gap.

She kept getting her head smashed as the monster tugged relentlessly. Her shirt tore more and more, yet it stayed in tact long enough to let her head be beaten. She was close to losing consciousness when suddenly the vines began to grow uncontrollably. The grey finger-like plants reached down and around the agape door, and around the monster's large paw. She hissed in pain, only tugging one last time before receding into the darkness of the caves. Her black blood quickly being drank by the thorned plants.

Chara fell to her knees, head throbbing. Loud sobs escaped from ths inside of the cave, the agape door doing nothing to silence the monster. Yet, Chara was numbed to the noises, knowing them to be a devilish trick.

A voice unlike Chara's scratched at her brain, too quiet to be heard. She assumed she had hit her head much too hard, and she again did her best to stand. Golden petals covered the snow around her that she could have sworn that they had not been there previously.

Thick breaths escaped her. She knew she had to keep moving despite the exhaustion that weakened her. Quickly she made her way through the snow, her body burdened with another threat. She would freeze to death if she did not find shelter.

Again doom loomed overhead, yet her body still managed to stand. Like a neverending cycle of misfortune, the light she assumed was sunlight was fading. It would be night, and the cold could only get worse. She sped up in an attempt at warming herself a bit. But then she froze as she heard a loud crack behind her. Fearing the monstrous woman, she quickly looked back.

No one was there.

She stared at a broken stick on the ground that she had just stepped over. Then she readily turned and began to speed walk away from the scene. Her bloody shoes finally being cleansed by the snow.

Chara gained a bit of hope as she stumbled upon a bridge. This meant there had to be someone around, and she felt in her state, someone had to take pity on her.

She took one step upon the wood of the bridge before she suddenly heard a voice behind her. The deep unusual tone froze her. It's words twisted her mind, making her afraid once again, it laughed so darkly, "It is rude to not introduce yourself to a new friend."


End file.
